Humorist, cartoonist, writer, playwright. James Thurber was to the twentieth century what Mark Twain was to the nineteenth. At one point, his books were the most read of any American in the world. His work could be found anywhere—from the pages of the New Yorker to the pages of children’s books, from illustrated advertisements to tea towels and dresses. Now, in celebration of the 125th anniversary of Thurber’s birth, A Mile and a Half of Lines: The Art of James Thurber is a long overdue introduction and reintroduction to James Thurber and the artwork that fundamentally changed American cartoons. Including some 260 drawings, this collection is the first comprehensive focus on his work as an artist, a cartoonist, and an illustrator.

Coinciding with the first major retrospective of Thurber’s art presented by the Columbus Museum of Art in 2019, A Mile and a Half of Lines showcases both classic Thurber as well as visual material never before seen in print.

James Thurber Born, Columbus, Ohio, December 8, 1894. Died 1961, New York City. New Yorker work: 1927 -1961, with several pieces run posthumously. According to the New Yorker’s legendary editor, William Shawn, “In the early days, a small company of writers, artists, and editors — E.B. White, James Thurber, Peter Arno, and Katharine White among them — did more to make the magazine what it is than can be measured.”

Key cartoon collection: The Seal in the Bedroom and Other Predicaments (Harper & Bros., 1932). Key anthology (writings & drawings): The Thurber Carnival (Harper & Row, 1945). There have been a number of Thurber biographies. Burton Bernstein’s Thurber (Dodd, Mead, 1975) and Harrison Kinney’s James Thurber: His Life and Times (Henry Holt & Co., 1995) are essential. A short bio appears on the Thurber House website: http://www.thurberhouse.org/about-james-thurber/

Adriane Tomine returns with a cover steeped in dreams. Read about it here. The cover appears related, in color palette and style, to last week’s cover, by Chris Ware. They even share a large circular object hovering along the right side of the frame (Mr. Ware’s is a tree, Mr. Tomine’s a logo).

The Cartoons:

Two pieces of good news. There are 18 cartoons in the issue. We haven’t seen this many in an issue since May 14th, when there were 19. Perhaps the surge to 18 is a result of this being the “Entertainment Issue” –or maybe it’s just one of those things.

The other piece of good news is that many of the cartoons — more so than in any issue in recent memory — are given a lot of breathing room on the page. P.C. Vey’s cartoon is a good example, as is Zach Kanin’s, Seth Fleishman’s, Tom Chitty’s, and Barbara Smaller’s. Most of the other cartoons also seem to occupy more space than has been the case; just a few seem squeezed in.

If the Spill was in the business of handing out blue ribbons like they do over on the Cartoon Companion, one would be pinned on Bruce Eric Kaplan’s drawing (p. 61). Also of note: Lars Kenseth’s log flume ride drawing (p.78).

It was mostly Loper week on the Daily. His work appeared Tuesday, Thursday and Friday (on Friday the drawing was co-credited with Evan Allgood). The other two days saw work by Mary Lawton and Lars Kenseth.

Anatol Kovarsky Opening Reception Tomorrow at The Society of Illustrators

You’ve seen the name “Kovarsky” and a whole lot of his work here on the Spill every week for quite some time now as we approached the opening exhibit of his work at the Society of Illustrators. Well, the show is up, and tomorrow evening is the opening reception (it’s open to the public).

For anyone interested in seeing New Yorker cartoons and covers from its Golden Age up close and personal, this is where you should be tomorrow evening. An inspiring exhibit.

The CC boys, “Max” & “Simon” are back with a look at all the cartoons in the latest issue of The New Yorker (January 15th). Perhaps it’s worth noting that there is no other place on the internet (or off) that does what they do.

Article of Interest: The New Yorker’s Newsletter Director, Dan Oshinsky

From Niemanlab, January 10, 2018, ” With its newsletter director, The New Yorker wants to experiment with standalone and international-focused product” — an article about Dan Oshinsky…with New Yorker cartoon content. Read it here.